Summary
Hope, Disappointment, and Dangerous Distractions
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Edna wakes up flooded with hope and optimism about Robert's love, convincing herself that his hesitations don't matter if he truly cares for her. She fantasizes about his daily routine and imagines their future together, feeling foolish for her despair the night before. Letters arrive from her children, her husband planning their European trip, and Arobin expressing his devotion. She responds warmly to her family but burns Arobin's note, showing her conflicted feelings. When Robert doesn't visit for several days, her hope crashes into devastating disappointment. Instead of seeking him out directly, she avoids places where she might encounter him, paralyzed by fear of rejection. Feeling desperate and empty, she accepts Arobin's invitation for a reckless night drive, then brings him home for dinner and intimacy. The chapter ends with Edna feeling neither hope nor despair—just emotional numbness. This pivotal moment shows how Edna uses Arobin as an emotional painkiller while avoiding the real conversation she needs with Robert. Her pattern of extreme highs and lows reveals someone losing touch with reality, making increasingly self-destructive choices. The contrast between her morning fantasies and evening reality highlights how hope without action becomes its own form of suffering.
Coming Up in Chapter 36
Edna's emotional numbness is about to be shattered. A revelation is coming that will force her to confront the true cost of her choices and the reality of her situation.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
The morning was full of sunlight and hope. Edna could see before her no denial—only the promise of excessive joy. She lay in bed awake, with bright eyes full of speculation. “He loves you, poor fool.” If she could but get that conviction firmly fixed in her mind, what mattered about the rest? She felt she had been childish and unwise the night before in giving herself over to despondency. She recapitulated the motives which no doubt explained Robert’s reserve. They were not insurmountable; they would not hold if he really loved her; they could not hold against her own passion, which he must come to realize in time. She pictured him going to his business that morning. She even saw how he was dressed; how he walked down one street, and turned the corner of another; saw him bending over his desk, talking to people who entered the office, going to his lunch, and perhaps watching for her on the street. He would come to her in the afternoon or evening, sit and roll his cigarette, talk a little, and go away as he had done the night before. But how delicious it would be to have him there with her! She would have no regrets, nor seek to penetrate his reserve if he still chose to wear it. Edna ate her breakfast only half dressed. The maid brought her a delicious printed scrawl from Raoul, expressing his love, asking her to send him some bonbons, and telling her they had found that morning ten tiny white pigs all lying in a row beside Lidie’s big white pig. A letter also came from her husband, saying he hoped to be back early in March, and then they would get ready for that journey abroad which he had promised her so long, which he felt now fully able to afford; he felt able to travel as people should, without any thought of small economies—thanks to his recent speculations in Wall Street. Much to her surprise she received a note from Arobin, written at midnight from the club. It was to say good morning to her, to hope she had slept well, to assure her of his devotion, which he trusted she in some faintest manner returned. All these letters were pleasing to her. She answered the children in a cheerful frame of mind, promising them bonbons, and congratulating them upon their happy find of the little pigs. She answered her husband with friendly evasiveness,—not with any fixed design to mislead him, only because all sense of reality had gone out of her life; she had abandoned herself to Fate, and awaited the consequences with indifference. To Arobin’s note she made no reply. She put it under Celestine’s stove-lid. Edna worked several hours with much spirit. She saw no one but a picture dealer, who asked her if it were true that she was going abroad to study in Paris. She said possibly she might, and he negotiated with her for...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Hope Without Action
The cycle of substituting elaborate fantasies for difficult conversations, creating false hope that crashes into devastating reality.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches the crucial difference between productive preparation and destructive daydreaming that substitutes for action.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you're rehearsing conversations in your head—then immediately identify one concrete step you can take today to move from imagination to reality.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Emotional Volatility
Extreme swings between hope and despair, often within hours or days. Edna goes from complete optimism in the morning to using Arobin as emotional medication by evening.
Modern Usage:
We see this in people who swing between 'everything's perfect' posts on social media and complete breakdowns when reality hits.
Fantasy vs. Reality Gap
The dangerous space between what we imagine will happen and what actually occurs. Edna creates elaborate fantasies about Robert's feelings and daily routine instead of having real conversations.
Modern Usage:
Like spending hours imagining what you'll say to your crush instead of actually texting them, then feeling crushed when they don't respond how you imagined.
Avoidance Behavior
Deliberately staying away from situations that might bring clarity but could also bring pain. Edna avoids places where she might see Robert because she fears rejection.
Modern Usage:
Like avoiding your ex's usual hangouts or not checking your bank account when you know it's low - the not-knowing feels safer than knowing.
Emotional Self-Medication
Using one person or activity to numb the pain caused by another situation. Edna turns to Arobin's attention when Robert's absence becomes unbearable.
Modern Usage:
Like rebounding with someone new right after a breakup, or shopping when you're depressed - temporary relief that doesn't solve the real problem.
Epistolary Communication
Communication through letters, which was the primary long-distance contact method in 1899. The chapter shows multiple letters arriving, each representing different relationships and expectations.
Modern Usage:
Today this would be texts, emails, and DMs - all the different ways people stay in our lives and make demands on our attention.
Emotional Numbness
A state beyond hope or despair where feelings shut down completely. Edna ends the chapter feeling nothing - neither happy nor sad.
Modern Usage:
That feeling when you've been through so much emotional chaos that you just feel empty and disconnected from everything.
Characters in This Chapter
Edna
Protagonist in emotional crisis
Swings from wild optimism to crushing disappointment to emotional numbness all in one day. Makes increasingly reckless choices to avoid facing her real feelings about Robert.
Modern Equivalent:
The friend who goes from 'he's definitely into me' to sleeping with someone else when her crush doesn't text back
Robert
Absent love interest
Doesn't appear in person but dominates Edna's thoughts. His silence and distance drive her to increasingly desperate behavior.
Modern Equivalent:
The person who leaves you on read but you keep checking their social media
Arobin
Emotional rebound
Provides attention and physical comfort when Edna can't handle Robert's rejection. Represents the easy but ultimately empty choice.
Modern Equivalent:
The person who's always available when your real crush isn't - convenient but not what you actually want
Léonce
Distant husband
Sends business-like letters about travel plans, showing how disconnected their marriage has become. Represents the life Edna is trying to escape.
Modern Equivalent:
The partner who only texts about logistics and schedules while you're having an emotional crisis
Raoul
Innocent child
Sends a sweet letter asking for candy, representing the simple love and responsibility Edna is neglecting in her emotional chaos.
Modern Equivalent:
Your kid asking for help with homework while you're spiraling over relationship drama
Key Quotes & Analysis
"He loves you, poor fool."
Context: Edna tries to convince herself that Robert's feelings justify everything
The phrase 'poor fool' reveals Edna knows she's deceiving herself but desperately needs to believe it. She's both the fool and the one calling herself foolish.
In Today's Words:
He's totally into you, you idiot - stop overthinking it.
"She would have no regrets, nor seek to penetrate his reserve if he still chose to wear it."
Context: Edna fantasizes about accepting Robert exactly as he is
This shows Edna's willingness to accept crumbs of affection rather than demand real communication. She's already compromising her needs in her fantasies.
In Today's Words:
She'd be cool with whatever walls he put up - no pressure, no questions asked.
"She was neither ashamed nor seeking to hide."
Context: Edna brings Arobin home after their night out
This marks a complete shift in Edna's behavior - she's moved beyond caring about social conventions or consequences. It's both liberation and self-destruction.
In Today's Words:
She didn't care who saw or what anyone thought anymore.
Thematic Threads
Self-Deception
In This Chapter
Edna convinces herself Robert's hesitations don't matter if he loves her, avoiding the reality of his actual behavior
Development
Evolved from earlier romantic idealization to active denial of obvious truths
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you make excuses for someone's actions instead of accepting their clear message.
Avoidance
In This Chapter
Rather than seeking Robert out, Edna deliberately avoids places where she might encounter him
Development
Her pattern of avoiding difficult conversations has intensified into avoiding the person entirely
In Your Life:
You might see this in dodging phone calls, emails, or places where you'd face an uncomfortable situation.
Emotional Numbness
In This Chapter
Edna uses intimacy with Arobin as an emotional painkiller, feeling neither hope nor despair afterward
Development
Progressed from seeking excitement to seeking oblivion from emotional pain
In Your Life:
You might recognize this in using shopping, food, work, or relationships to avoid processing difficult feelings.
Fantasy vs Reality
In This Chapter
Edna's morning fantasies about Robert's love crash against the reality of his absence
Development
Her tendency toward romantic idealization has become complete disconnection from reality
In Your Life:
You might notice this when your imagined scenarios feel more real than actual interactions with people.
Self-Destruction
In This Chapter
Edna makes increasingly reckless choices, bringing Arobin home despite her conflicted feelings
Development
Her impulsive decisions have escalated from small rebellions to potentially life-altering actions
In Your Life:
You might see this pattern when stress leads you to make choices that feel good in the moment but complicate your life.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
How does Edna's morning hope about Robert transform into evening despair, and what specific actions does she take to cope with this emotional crash?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Edna avoid places where she might encounter Robert instead of seeking him out directly, and what does this reveal about her approach to difficult conversations?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today substituting elaborate fantasies or social media stalking for actual communication in relationships or career situations?
application • medium - 4
When you're avoiding a difficult conversation, what concrete steps could you take to move from mental rehearsal to actual action within 24 hours?
application • deep - 5
What does Edna's pattern of extreme emotional highs and lows teach us about the difference between hope based on fantasy versus hope based on reality?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Fantasy vs. Action Audit
Think of a situation in your life where you've been mentally rehearsing conversations or imagining scenarios but avoiding direct action. Write down the fantasy version of how it might go, then list three concrete, small steps you could take this week to move toward a real conversation or decision.
Consider:
- •Notice the difference between planning (which includes next steps) and fantasizing (which stays in your head)
- •Consider why you might be avoiding the real conversation - fear of rejection, conflict, or disappointment
- •Remember that real conversations rarely match our fantasies, but they provide actual information to work with
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you avoided a difficult conversation and later regretted not speaking up sooner. What would you do differently now, knowing that uncertainty is often worse than clarity?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 36: The Garden Confession
As the story unfolds, you'll explore to recognize when someone is avoiding difficult conversations through excuses, while uncovering the difference between being possessed by someone versus choosing to be with them. These lessons connect the classic to contemporary challenges we all face.